The Humanity Party
I don't consider myself to be particularly political. My husband might disagree. Primarily, I believe in us as a people. I perceive my opinions about equality for all persons, and kind treatment toward animals and nature, to be humane rather than radically liberal or conservative.
Then, in any given moment, I observe the things going on in the world that I simply don't understand. With this flows a tidal wave of grief. I contract a kind of paralysis. In case you wonder what I'm speaking of, here's a partial list:
Children die when they show up at school, while more humans are gunned down at concerts;
Homes and businesses in coastal communities around the world, destroyed by unparalleled flooding, while unprecedented fires eliminate homes, farm land, and wildlife in formerly temperate climes;
Black and brown people in the United States, arrested, beaten, or killed for the color of their skin;
Land stolen from its original people on every continent, and rarely are any reparations made;
Prisons filled with a lost generation of people (mostly of color), in part, because the system requires a certain fulfillment of capacity in private contracts;
Veterans who have served our country live out of cardboard boxes;
Senior citizens potentially being forced out of nursing homes for lack of funds, while too many of those residing in such establishments go without proper care;
The beauty and resources that the earth provides are, at best, lightly attended to, and at worst, poisoned (oil spills, drilling, fracking, lead in the pipes of Flint, MI) or killed as trophies (hunting of lions, rhinos, leopards, etc.);
Those who sought to protect clean water were brutally and repeatedly attacked by the government forces established to protect the people;
In this country, the cost of health care is prohibitive for millions of people, and even those of us who have it, and pay well for it, are required to jump through hoops to receive care;
Around the world - to greater and lesser degrees - women are treated as property, non-consensual sexual play things, and less worthy of having a voice and being valued than men;
Whole populations of people flee for their lives, while we pay men and women to force immigrants from this country - separating children from parents, while the system swallows the vulnerable;
We allow corporate money to wield power over selection of government officials, laws, and tax regulations, rather than the vote of each person truly mattering as an independent voice;
And hundreds of thousands of people in the United States must work multiple jobs, simply to scrape by, if they're lucky.
What's going on here? I'm aware that I've only outlined partial issues, and there are many more besides, but which of these do I harness my power to support? How do I prioritize? It leaves me baffled, pained, angry, and reminds me of what it was like, in my own life, to be truly helpless. I'm keenly aware, too, that with a turn of fortune, I could be completely powerless again.
So, what to do? I vote. I attempt to stay informed, without allowing my spirit to be crushed by the media. I dedicate my work life to supporting those who seek to manifest their best selves, and I open myself as a conduit for healing. I also strive to stay in my lane and attend to the debris I may find there. If I'm angry about a personal violation, it's my work to set and maintain a boundary. When I feel sad or afraid, I give myself real space to feel those feelings, rather than attacking another or blaming someone else. I effort to grow my willingness to take responsibility for my actions, while not taking on the judgments of others. When I find myself judging others, I pause, and wonder, "What part of me do I see in them?" I use the moment as an opportunity to recognize an aspect of me shivering in the cold, having not yet been offered the glow of my own love. When my heart closes down, I ask the universe for help to open it again - through prayer, meditation, support from friends and healing practitioners - so that I may live an open-hearted life with integrity.
I wish I could tell you that I've got a plan for how to deal with the BIG issues. I don't. I can tell you this, though, I believe rather than a political affiliation, together we could form a Humanity Party. A group of people who are willing to love those they don't understand, including ourselves. A band of sisters and brothers who extend compassion - a willingness to allow feelings to be felt free of judgment - to all, including feeling our own emotions. A tribe who generously accepts those who live differently, love differently, worship differently, while the individuals within this tribe be who they truly are, not who or how someone else believes they are supposed to be. A coven that honors the magic of the universe by living with an intention to do no harm...to others, to the creatures of the planet, to the earth we live on, and to our individual selves. A party of humans treating each other with respect and the equality of our humanity - I don't mean that we are all the same, but rather, that we are each a spark of light, and it is for each of us to see that in ourselves and the other souls we share the galaxy with.
The Humanity Party has no monetary fees for entrance. You need only be willing to step into your most courageous self, again and again, remembering this definition of courage: choosing to be vulnerable in the face of fear. Are you willing? Are you ready? Will you join me? Perhaps, with our collective love and courage, we will find our way to humane solutions for the challenges before us.
With love and courage,
Joanne Lutz